About
Trusted Clinical Content for Every Stage of Pediatric Care
Advancing Safe, Consistent Pediatric Care
For more than 30 years, Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines (SPG) has set the standard for safe, evidence-based decision support systems in pediatric medicine. Our content supports physicians, nurses, and healthcare teams around the world, helping children receive the right care at the right time.
Our Mission
The mission of Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines is to provide healthcare professionals and parents with clear, consistent, and clinically accurate guidance for caring for children with symptoms, illnesses, or injuries. Whenever possible, we underscore preventive measures.
Every guideline, protocol, and handout is built on trusted medical reasoning, evidence-based practice, and decades of pediatric experience. Our goal is to support better outcomes, reduce unnecessary ED visits, and give families confidence in managing their child’s health.
Our Pediatric Editorial Team
The Experts Behind the Guidelines
Behind every Schmitt Pediatric Guideline product is an experienced team of physicians, nurses, editors, and data specialists dedicated to clinical excellence and clarity in pediatric communication.
Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP
Founder and Chief Clinical Content Author
Littleton, Colorado
Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP
Founder and Chief Clinical Content Author
Littleton, Colorado
Dr. Barton Schmitt is a pediatrician, educator, author, and recognized leader in pediatric medicine. A pioneer in telephone triage and advice systems, he has dedicated his career to helping pediatricians and nurses provide high quality and more efficient care. He has helped parents better understand and confidently respond to their children’s health care needs.
Dr. Schmitt authored the original Pediatric Telephone Protocols and Pediatric Care Advice series over 40 years ago. They are used by most call centers, pediatric offices, and top medical centers in the country. His protocols guide more than 20 million nurse triage calls each year in North America.
Dr. Schmitt is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He founded and served as medical director of the Pediatric After-Hours Call Center at Children’s Hospital Colorado for over 30 years. He served as medical director of the Diagnostic Dilemma Consult Clinic in the Department of Pediatrics for over 40 years. He taught pediatric residents in their continuity clinics for over 50 years and continues to do so.
His legacy lives on in every nurse who gives sound telephone advice, every parent who feels reassured, and every child who receives the right care at the right time. His life’s work continues to shape the future of pediatric communication with compassion, clarity, and trust.
George Sam Wang, MD, FAAP, FACMT, FAACT
Medical Editor, Pediatric Triage Protocols
Golden, Colorado
George Sam Wang, MD, FAAP, FACMT, FAACT
Medical Editor, Pediatric Triage Protocols
Golden, Colorado
Dr. Sam Wang is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado and Children’s Hospital Colorado. He is triple-board certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Medical Toxicology.
His work outside of SPG focuses on pediatric emergency care and poisoning prevention. Dr. Wang contributes new and updated clinical guidelines for the After Hours and Office Hours Protocols, ensuring the content reflects current best practices, and real-world application.
Julia Michie Bruckner, MD, MPH, FAAP
Medical Editor, Pediatric Care Advice Handouts
Erie, Colorado
Julia Michie Bruckner, MD, MPH, FAAP
Medical Editor, Pediatric Care Advice Handouts
Erie, Colorado
Dr. Julia Michie Bruckner is a pediatrician, educator, and writer who creates and reviews SPG’s Pediatric Care Advice materials. She serves as an attending physician in the emergency and urgent care departments at Children’s Hospital Colorado and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Her areas of expertise include health literacy, patient communication, and medical writing. Her essays have appeared in JAMA and Academic Pediatrics, and she is a contributing author to What We Bring to the Practice of Medicine (2023) and co-editor of Narrative Medicine: A Guidebook to Transforming Hearts and Minds (2025).
Kelli Massaro, RN
Senior Nurse Editor and Pediatric Clinical Content Manager
Parker, Colorado
Kelli Massaro, RN
Senior Nurse Editor and Pediatric Clinical Content Manager
Parker, Colorado
Kelli Massaro brings more than 40 years of pediatric nursing experience to her role as Clinical Content Manager for SPG. Her experience includes direct care in various pediatric hospital settings as well as pediatric telehealth nursing. She currently oversees the annual updates and quality review of all pediatric clinical content and ensures accuracy and clarity across Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines’ nurse triage and care advice materials.
Kelli spent 27 years as a telehealth triage nurse at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Her deep expertise in pediatric triage, call evaluation, and telehealth quality improvement continues to shape SPG’s trusted clinical content. She has worked with Dr. Schmitt on the telehealth protocols since 2000.
Kelli holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and is a former Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN).
Lisa Swerczek, MSN, BSN, RNC-TNP
Nurse Editor and Pediatric Clinical Content Coordinator
St. Louis, Missouri
Lisa Swerczek, MSN, BSN, RNC-TNP
Nurse Editor and Pediatric Clinical Content Coordinator
St. Louis, Missouri
Lisa Swerczek brings nearly four decades of nursing experience to SPG. She has dedicated her career to pediatric telehealth and telephone triage, including more than 30 years at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
She collaborates with pediatric call centers nationwide to ensure consistency and accuracy across the After Hours and Office Hours Protocols. Lisa is an active member of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing and a past Co-Chair of its Telehealth Special Interest Group. Her research and articles on asthma management and telehealth have been widely published.
Megan Kice, MS, RD
Data Editor, After Hours and Office Hours Protocols
Centennial, Colorado
Megan Kice, MS, RD
Data Editor, After Hours and Office Hours Protocols
Centennial, Colorado
Megan Kice supports SPG’s editorial operations by maintaining data accuracy within the After Hours and Office Hours Protocol databases. She is a Registered Dietitian and currently contributes her expertise in data management and clinical editing to the SPG team.
Amy Orzel, DPT
Data Editor, Pediatric Care Advice Handouts
Naperville, Illinois
Amy Orzel, DPT
Data Editor, Pediatric Care Advice Handouts
Naperville, Illinois
Amy Orzel manages the Pediatric Care Advice Handouts’ editorial process and content database, ensuring that all educational materials are accurate, clear, and accessible.
A former physical therapist, Amy combines her clinical experience with her expertise in medical editing and health literacy. She collaborates closely with authors and reviewers to maintain consistency across SPG’s extensive care advice library. Amy holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Northwestern University and a Certificate in Writing in the Sciences from Stanford University.
The Legacy Continues
Dr. Schmitt’s vision remains the foundation of our work: empowering pediatric professionals with reliable, evidence-based content that improves care, and reduces uncertainty.
Schmitt Pediatric Guidelines continues to evolve, expanding its content and annual updates to meet the needs of modern healthcare while preserving the human insight that has guided pediatric care for more than three decades.